What to remember when you finally start practicing

Ever feel like you’re in a whirlwind traveling at the speed of light? Sometimes that’s what it’s like running a dental practice, especially your first year. There are countless decisions to make, and for every one, there are 10 you haven’t thought of yet. In addition, you will need to quickly build trusting relationships with your patients and staff.

Dr. Kenyon Glor

If your head isn’t spinning now, it soon will be!

The good news is that there are skills that you, as a new dentist, can rely on to help calm the turbulence and build the confidence that you’re making the right decisions and building long lasting relationships. The best part is that you already know these two foundational skills.

Fairness: Fairness comes up so often and is a good guide for decisions and to resolve misunderstandings. Remember to stop and ask yourself, “What is really fair in this situation?” It has been my experience that people appreciate when a hand is extended in fairness. Knowing you have been fair will give you confidence and security in your decisions. Fairness counts – with your patients, with your staff, with the lab, and with everyone.

Treating others as you want to be treated: Whether it’s a patient, a staff management question, or something else, stopping to ask how you would want to be treated. This will go a long way towards guiding your decisions and forming relationships.

The other must do things – listen (ears open mouths shut, as my first grade teacher would say), smile, and be kind.

The whirlwind of growing your practice can make these things much easier said than done. Remembering to stop to take a breath and to ask yourself what is fair and how you would like to be treated; it’s by far the best way to guide a decision. When you combine these with being kind and listening, you will gain the trust of your new patients and your practice will thrive!

Dr. Kenyon Glor is a New Dentist Now guest blogger. He is adentist in Wellington, Ohio and has been practicing there for 27 years. Dr. Glor completed his dental training at the Indiana University School of Dentistry. When he’s not practicing, he enjoys family activities with his wife, Betsy, and children, Ethan, Benjamin and Emily. He also loves basketball, soccer and sailing.

2 comments

I’ve found that fairness can swing the mood of your entire staff in your direction. When something is felt to be unfair, surprisingly, even among adults who should understand that life isn’t necessarily fair, it really can destroy any sort of unity among a group of employees, great article!

Great advice and not applicable only to the dental field but just about anybody else. Practice and insist on fairness and believe in the Golden Rule. Sounds old fashioned but as critical today as it was then.